Vanderbilt Students Walk Out on ADL CEO for Putting ‘Students at Risk’ by Speaking

ADL Vanderbilt Event

Many Vanderbilt University students took seats at a campus speaking event only to leave them because of the event’s headliner, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.

Jewish Voice for Peace Vanderbilt, a student organization part of the larger Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) group that advocates for Israel to stop its military campaign against Hamas terrorists, posted a video of the February 15 walkout to Instagram.

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Matthew Giffin: Jon Meacham and Liz Cheney Refused to Take Questions at Polarizing Vanderbilt Event That Claimed to Be About ‘Unity’

Liz Cheney

Matthew Giffin, reporter at The Tennessee Star and student at Middle Tennessee State University, joined Wednesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss former Wyoming U.S. Representative Liz Cheney’s appearance at an event at Vanderbilt University this week.

On Tuesday, Cheney joined Jon Meacham, former MSNBC contributor and current co-chair of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, for an event titled “Defending Our Democracy” where the pair discussed Cheney’s work on the January 6th Committee and the “health of democracy and the presidency.”

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Liz Cheney Visits Vanderbilt, Warns Democracy in Danger by Trump Supporters

Former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY-at large) and former MSNBC contributor Jon Meacham warned their audience at Vanderbilt University of increasing support for former President Donald Trump as a threat to democracy ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

During the public conversation on January 6, titled “Defending Our Democracy,” Meacham and Cheney agreed that “Trumpism” is a cult and suggested the country may have to be recovered by “great violence and upheaval.”

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Tennessee Universities Earn Bad Free Speech Code Ratings

Many Tennessee universities maintain speech codes that suppress campus free speech, according to a recent report by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Of the six Tennessee schools included in the report, five reportedly have rules restricting free speech.

The Spotlight on Campus Speech Codes 2024 report rates U.S. colleges based on whether their written speech codes do not infringe on protected speech. According to the report, 85.4 percent of schools maintain policies that can or do infringe on free expression.

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Trump Critic Co-Chairs Vanderbilt ‘Unity and American Democracy’ Project

Jon Meacham

Outspoken former President Donald Trump critic Jon Meacham, who compared Trump’s rhetoric to that of Nazi Germany’s Third Reich, serves as a co-chair of Vanderbilt University’s “Project on Unity and American Democracy.”

Vanderbilt launched the project in 2021 because the United States “has become disconnected from evidence and reason” and suffers from political and ideological polarization, according to its website.

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Vanderbilt University Has One Administrator for Every Two Students: Analysis

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University employs more than one full-time administrator for every two students, a College Fix analysis found.

During the 2021-22 academic year, the most recent for which data are available, the private Nashville university employed 3,516 full-time administrators and support staff, according to information the school filed with the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

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Vanderbilt ‘Justice in Palestine’ Students and Alumni Accuse University of Supporting Genocide

Pro-Palestine Vanderbilt students and alumni activists accused the university and its chancellor of “supporting genocide” in an Instagram post on Monday.

The Instagram accounts for the Vanderbilt Alumni for Palestine and the Vanderbilt chapter of the Students for Justice in Palestine jointly posted a series of graphics in response to an email that the groups claim Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier sent to students.

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Vanderbilt Professor: Climate Change Stories ‘Cater to the White Consciousness’

A professor of English at Vanderbilt University recently gave a talk about how the genre of climate fiction, or “cli-fi,” has a problem with “its intersection [of] race and genre.”

Teresa Goddu (pictured above), whose advocacy led to the creation of Vanderbilt’s Environmental and Sustainability Studies minor, told an audience at the Novel Seminar Series that climate fiction in the United States “depicts the climate crisis as a whiteness crisis,” The Hustler reports.

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Vanderbilt Researchers Granted NIH Funds to Study Children’s Mental Health

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have been granted $3.2 million from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to research children’s mental health, according to the university. 

“A four-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will support the research of Carolyn Heinrich, University Distinguished Professor of Leadership, Policy and Organizations, and Melinda Buntin, University Distinguished Professor of Health Policy, into how school-based health interventions affect children’s mental health and education outcomes,” Vanderbilt announced last month. “Schools are serving children with ever-increasing mental health needs, which were amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. public schools serve as the primary entry point to mental health services for children, and school-based health centers, or SBHCs, increasingly are a ‘medical home’ for vulnerable children.”

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College Math a ‘White, Cisheteropatriarchal Space,’ Vanderbilt Professor Says at Major Conference

An education professor delivered a lecture in early January at a major mathematician meeting that described college math as “white” and “cisheteropatriarchal.”

“Undergraduate Mathematics Education as a White, Cisheteropatriarchal Space and Opportunities for Structural Disruption to Advance Queer of Color Justice” was the full title of the lecture given by Luis Leyva, associate professor of mathematics education at the Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University.

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Vanderbilt Agrees to Halt All Gender Transition Surgeries for Minors

After a report exposed Vanderbilt University Medical Center for performing and bragging about performing gender transition surgeries for minors, and after a letter from Tennessee state legislators, the hospital has agreed to cease all such medical procedures.

“HUGE NEWS: following our report, Vanderbilt has agreed to pause all gender transition surgeries on minors,” said Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, who first exposed the medical center. “The fight is far from over but this will save children from mutilation and abuse. An incredibly important victory. Praise God.”

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Vanderbilt Alum, Chief Architect of COVID-19 Vaccine Will Speak at School

A Vanderbilt University alumnus who is touted as one of the chief architects of the early COVID-19 vaccine will return to his alma mater to give a speech, the school recently announced. 

“Pathbreaking immunologist, virologist, educator and leader Barney S. Graham, PhD’91, will deliver the School of Medicine Basic Sciences Dean’s Lecture on Monday, Oct. 17, at 4 p.m. CT in the Jacobs Believed In Me Auditorium at Featheringill Hall,” said a press release from the school. “Graham was the chief architect of the first experimental COVID-19 vaccines and earned the 2021 Vanderbilt University Distinguished Alumnus Award.”

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Lee Calls for Investigation into Vanderbilt Transgender Clinic

Tennessee’s governor is calling for an investigation after a scandal emerged involving a transgender clinic at Vanderbilt University. 

“The ‘pediatric transgender clinic’ at Vanderbilt University Medical Center raises serious moral, ethical and legal concerns,” Lee said in a statement. “We should not allow permanent, life-altering decisions that hurt children or policies that suppress religious liberties, all for the purpose of financial gain. We have to protect Tennessee children, and this warrants a thorough investigation.”

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Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson Calls on Vanderbilt University to Stop ‘Prohibited Medical Practice’, Genital Mutilation of Minors

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy was joined on the newsmaker line by Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson calls for Vanderbilt University to cease all pediatric gender mutilating surgeries to pause until the Tennessee General Assembly convenes in January to complete investigations and propose legislation.

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Report: Vanderbilt University Professor Jon Meacham Helped Write Biden’s Anti-MAGA Speech

According to a weekend story in German-owned Politico, one of the men behind President Joe Biden’s divisive Thursday night speech is a Vanderbilt professor who has long been mired in controversy for his far-left political leanings.

“The actual writing of the speech started about three weeks ago, with Jon Meacham, the historian who has had a hand in a number of Biden’s most sweeping speeches, helping the framing,” according to Politico.

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Vanderbilt Announces Major Expansion to University Hospital

Vanderbilt University Monday announced plans for the University Hospital’s largest expansion ever. 

“Through this project a new [Vanderbilt University Hospital] inpatient tower will be built atop an existing parking structure located between 21st Avenue South and Medical Center Drive. Access to the new tower’s entrance will be through Vivien Thomas Way,” according to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

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Vanderbilt Index Shows Americans Becoming Slightly Less Politically Polarized, Have More Faith in Institutions

An index created by Vanderbilt University that is used to track political polarization and faith in America’s institutions says that Americans are becoming less polarized, according to the school’s second quarter analysis. 

“Americans’ general faith and trust in democracy has stabilized in the first half of 2022, remaining relatively flat throughout the second quarter, according to the most recent Vanderbilt Unity Index,” the school said in a release.

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Tennessee Office of Reentry Touts Study About Rehabilitating LGBT Offenders

A department of the Tennessee state government dedicated to helping those who have been released from prison is touting a Vanderbilt University study aimed at understanding reentering LGBT people into society. 

“Thank you to Ms. Danait Issac out of or including us in the first part of her study on reentry efforts for the justice-involved LGBTQ+ population. These are important conversations and we look forward to your work in the future! #PrideMonth,” said the Tennessee Department of Reentry on Twitter, attaching the study. 

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Vanderbilt Concerned After Uptick in Suicide Among Medical Students

Woman in lab coat looking through microscope

Vanderbilt University is concerned after four of its medical school students have committed suicide in less than two years. 

“Vanderbilt University is committed to a culture of caring in which the well-being of all community members—our extraordinary students, the faculty who teach them, and the staff who play an immeasurable role in the success of this remarkable university—is enhanced and supported,” Vanderbilt said in a statement. “We strive to foster a culture of openness through brave dialogue, honest self-reflection, and willingness to invest in this incredible university by investing first in the mental health and wholeness of every member of the Vanderbilt family.”

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Commentary: Vanderbilt University Study Shows Why Biden’s Universal Government Preschool Program Would Be a Disaster

President Biden’s proposed $2 trillion-plus Build Back Better Act failed to gain US Senate approval in 2021, but efforts remain to move forward with a revised version that would include universal government preschool programs and taxpayer-funded child care subsidies.

As US Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA) said recently about taxpayer-backed daycare: “It is the issue that has survived all the iterations, and it is going to be the issue that we are able to get over the line with in the Build Back Better agenda.”

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CDC Awards Vanderbilt University $10.7 Million Grant to Study COVID Vaccine

Vanderbilt University announced last week that the CDC awarded the school $10.7 million in grants towards studying the effects of the COVID vaccine. The money will boost the IVY Research Network, which was originally created in 2019 to study the flu vaccination.

The statement from the school said this was the third renewal with IVY (The Influenza and Other Viruses in the Acutely Ill) Research Network, which consists of 21 large adult hospitals in 21 U.S. cities, funded by the CDC and led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

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Vanderbilt University Renews Pharmaceutical Partnership with Japanese Company Ono

Vanderbilt University announced last week that they would continue the partnership with the Japanese-based Ono Pharmaceutical Company through November 2023. Vanderbilt has been working with Ono since 2015, and this is the fourth extension of their contract. 

“Such a successful cooperative effort is never guaranteed, so it is great to be able to continue and extend what has been Vanderbilt’s longest ongoing drug discovery collaboration with Ono,” said Thomas Utley, senior licensing officer at the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization. “The collaboration is only possible because of the great working relationship that Ono brings to the table.”

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Nashville Public School Teachers and Amazon Partner to Generate Ideas for Schooling Changes

The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF), a Vanderbilt University-based schooling-policy nonprofit, this week announced the creation of its first twelve-member “Teacherpreneur cohort” to consider solutions to what the organization sees as major challenges in education. 

NPEF—which aligns itself with progressive causes like “culturally relevant curricula,” higher teacher pay and increased public-school funding—is creating its new program with financial support from the ubiquitous online merchant Amazon, which also owns the information-technology-platform company Amazon Web Services (AWS).

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Tennessee Department of Transportation Might Convert Certain HOV Lanes in Nashville into Toll Lanes

Vanderbilt University staff on Friday published a press release that announced they’d partnered with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to study whether to convert certain High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes into High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes.

But by Monday the Vanderbilt press release had vanished. A source told The Tennessee Star on that Vanderbilt’s communications staff posted the press release in error. The press release appeared online before Vanderbilt officials had signed off on it.

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Vanderbilt University and Tennessee Department of Transportation Leading to Build ‘Smartest Roadway in the World’

Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee Department of Traffic (TDOT) are beginning development of what is being called ‘the smartest roadway in the world.’ While the development only spans about six miles of Nashville’s Interstate 24, leader Dan Work of Vanderbilt University said that,

This research will help make the world’s roadways smarter and safer, with the initial research conducted right here in Tennessee. Beyond the thrill of participating in this never-before-attempted project, we are confident that this work will attract the attention of automakers and contribute to the region’s economy

This project, called the I-24 Mobility Technology Interstate Observation Network — or, I-24 MOTION — consists of 300 ultra HD cameras to anonymously capture details of drivers on the road. Part of the cameras instillation had already begun this summer, and the I-24 MOTION team hopes to have the remaining cameras installed and running by summer 2022.

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Metro Nashville Public Schools Partner with Vanderbilt University to Address ‘Educational Inequities’

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) and Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College are partnering to address ‘educational inequities’ in the Nashville area.

According to the two groups, the project will have the goal of “producing actionable, innovative and scalable research to address racial and social inequities in pre-K-12 schools.”

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Dr. Carol Swain Hosts Book Signing for New Book About Critical Race Theory

Former Vanderbilt professor, Dr. Carol Swain, is hosting a book signing after the release of her new book about Critical Race Theory. Her new book, Black Eye for America, How Critical Race Theory is Burning Down the House, is an Amazon best seller. At the signing, she will be giving a presentation on Critical Race Theory as well as signing new books and taking questions from attendees. The signing will be held at “Brentwood’s iconic Puffy Muffin Bakery and Restaurant this Saturday, August 21st at 3pm,” according to a press release.

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Vanderbilt University Awarded $25,000 to COVID-Vaccinated Staff, Postdoctoral Scholars

Vanderbilt University announced on Wednesday that it awarded a total of $25,000 to staff and postdoctoral scholars in a giveaway for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Each winner received $1,000. The university held a giveaway handing out thousands of dollars as an incentive to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, despite requiring all students and staff in May to be vaccinated against COVID for the upcoming school year. The deadline to submit vaccination records is this Saturday.

Even if staff are working remotely, the university requires vaccination. Additionally, those who already contracted the virus are still required to be vaccinated.

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Vanderbilt University Joined Consortium to Study Legacy of Slavery, Racial Injustice

Vanderbilt University announced last month that it joined the Universities Studying Slavery (USS) consortium to further fight racial injustice and foster inclusivity on campus. According to the USS website, consortium membership means Vanderbilt University will probe its history for slavery or racism.

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier praised Vanderbilt University’s decision to further engage in introspection on its systemic inequity and racism.

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Memphis-Area College to Mandate COVID Vaccine, Bans Unvaccinated Individuals from Returning to Campus

Christian Brothers University (CBU) in Memphis announced on Monday that students or employees who opt to not receive the coronavirus vaccine will not be allowed on campus.

The school’s announcement detailed that students and employees must submit documentation of vaccination by August 2. However, some exemptions will be allowed for medical reasons or “sincerely-held” religious beliefs. 

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Vanderbilt University Chair Says Supreme Court Ban on Race-Based College Admissions Would Hold Back Minorities from Leadership, ‘Influential’ Employment

Vanderbilt University

A Vanderbilt University chair said that race-based admissions would prevent minorities from attaining leadership positions and “influential” employment. Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair Professor of Law and Economic Joni Hersch made this assessment in a legal studies research paper, “Affirmative Action and the Leadership Pipeline.” The paper is expected to appear in Tulane Law Review soon.

Hersch wrote the article in response to the ongoing court case, Students for Fair Admissions (SSFA) v. Harvard. In the lawsuit, SSFA alleges that Harvard University discriminates against Asian applicants in its admissions process by engaging in racial balancing.

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Research Showed One in Five Tennessee Public School Students in Six Districts Chronically Absent During Pandemic

Woman sitting alone with a mask on.

One in five Tennessee public school students from across six districts were chronically absent last year during the pandemic. Vanderbilt University’s Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) discovered this during a study of around 150,000 students across about 250 schools. They also discovered that the majority of chronic absenteeism cases occurred among English Learners, minority students, and economically disadvantaged students. The state classifies 10 percent or more of classes missed as chronic absence.

Nowhere did the report mention which six districts were studied. The Tennessee Star asked TERA spokespersons which districts they’d researched. They didn’t respond by press time. TERA noted that these districts’ chronic absenteeism rates have been climbing since 2018, but they’d jumped significantly last year with virtual learning.

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Two Tennessee Colleges Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines: Vanderbilt University and Maryville College

In this 2020 photograph, captured inside a clinical setting, a health care provider places a bandage on the injection site of a patient, who just received an influenza vaccine. The best way to prevent seasonal flu, is to get vaccinated every year. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6-months of age and older get a flu vaccine every season.

Come fall, Vanderbilt University and Maryville College are requiring students to be vaccinated for COVID-19 – even if the vaccine isn’t fully approved by the FDA. Maryville College was the first to announce a mandate of that nature in this state, issuing their press release late last month. Vanderbilt University issued their announcement on Monday.

Maryville College is the more lenient of the two Tennessee colleges in their mandate: they will allow exceptions for personal preference in addition to medical or religious reasons. The news release didn’t mention an accommodations request deadline. Vanderbilt University made no mention of personal preference-based exceptions – only medical and religious exemptions will be accepted. Their deadline for an accommodations request is June 15.

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Vanderbilt Investigates Student Government Election After White, Jewish Candidate Maligned

Student Jordan Gould

Vanderbilt University’s Equal Opportunity and Access office is investigating formal complaints related to its recent student government election, in which a white, Jewish candidate says he faced cyberbullying and defamation.

Student Jordan Gould published a column in Medium last week headlined “When the Social Justice Mob Came for Me” that described how he was called a “white supremacist and a racist confederate” by peers as he ran for student government president.

“We have received several formal complaints related to the student government election and our Equal Opportunity and Access office is investigating these,” Vanderbilt’s spokesperson Damon Maida told The College Fix via email on Friday.

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Vanderbilt University Concluded Black History Month with Promotion of Reparations and Local Black Lives Matter Chapter

As their grande finale for Black History Month, Vanderbilt University promoted an expansive reparations plan and membership in Black Lives Matter (BLM) Nashville.

Both events took place on February 26, the last in a lineup of 30 total events. The reparations event, titled “Reparations: An Issue Whose Time Has Come,” was hosted by Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW) President Dr. Ron Daniels. The other event was titled, “Plugging in to Black Lives Matter,” and featured BLM Nashville encouraging students to get involved.

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